DFA: Enhanced defense capability needed amid WPS ‘infringements’

MANILA – The Philippine government on Tuesday said it is a “necessity” to enhance defense capabilities amid what it calls “repeated infringements” on its sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea.

In a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) forum on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Manila would continue to uphold its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea through “peaceful and legal means.”

These include engaging claimants bilaterally and multilaterally with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Manalo said Manila would also continue to seek an “effective and inclusive” COC — one that is based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and “considers the interests of all stakeholders beyond ASEAN and China.”

“[R]ealizing these ends demands from all parties the highest commitment to dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.

“Nevertheless, repeated infringements on our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction; and other destabilizing actions that go against international law, the 1982 UNCLOS, and the spirit and letter of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea also necessitates the enhancement of our defense capabilities,” Manalo added.

He said the country would boost its defense capabilities, including in the framework of its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States.

In addition, Manila would explore “concrete steps” to expand operational coordination with “like-minded partners” such as Japan and Australia.

The statement was made during the ongoing 2023 “Balikatan” military exercises, the largest yet to date, and ahead of the anticipated 2+2 foreign and defense ministerial meetings between the US and the Philippines on April 12 (Manila time).

The 2023 “Balikatan” has a total of 17,680 Filipino, American, and Australian participants.

Prior to this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had warned that the “US-Philippines military cooperation must not interfere in South China Sea disputes.”

He noted that “exchange and cooperation between relevant countries should not target any third party and should be conducive to regional peace and stability.”

China continues to claim most of the South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line, which overlaps with the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.